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Poll - Your preferred 4 string neck shape?

Your preferred 4 string neck shape? (nut width, thickness)

  • 1 1/2", thin

    Votes: 50 29.8%

  • 1 1/2", medium

    Votes: 42 25.0%

  • 1 1/2", thick

    Votes: 11 6.5%

  • 1 5/8", thin

    Votes: 20 11.9%

  • 1 5/8", medium

    Votes: 28 16.7%

  • 1 5/8", thick

    Votes: 13 7.7%

  • 1 3/4", thin

    Votes: 15 8.9%

  • 1 3/4", medium

    Votes: 18 10.7%

  • 1 3/4", thick

    Votes: 12 7.1%
  • Total voters
    168
#25
blindrabbit said:
40mm asymmetric with zero radius
Click to expand...
Zero radius? You mean like a neck-less bass?

Teasing, I'm pretty sure you meant zero curvature (flat fretboard). That would be an infinite radius.

Just for kicks, if you have a radius of 0.24" at the nut on a Jazz Bass (or 1.5"/(2*pi)), the nut ends touch each other as your fretboard becomes a cylinder. Haha, chew on the playability of that!
 
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#28
With guitars I prefer chunky necks (but am okay with thin ones as well), but with basses I prefer thin necks--and I'm not too big on thick necks--which is part of the reason I own a Soundgear bass, not the only reason--but one of them
 
#29
29A said:
Zero radius? You mean like a neck-less bass?

Teasing, I'm pretty sure you meant zero curvature (flat fretboard). That would be an infinite radius.

Just for kicks, if you have a radius of 0.69" at the nut on a Jazz Bass (or (1.5"/pi)^1/2), the nut ends touch each other as your fretboard becomes a cylinder. Haha, chew on the playability of that!
Click to expand...

Actually, somebody made one like that; the Stash Stainless Steel Bass. tubular stainless neck, weird metal skeleton-y body. There are pictures of it around here somewhere, and a You Tube video of Steve Yanni playing it. Sounds pretty good, too...:)
 
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#30
I have long fingers, so I can deal with almost any neck width.

But I like my thumb in a certain position, which means I am fussy about neck thickness.

Thin necks scare me a bit. I think they're more prone to warping. But some necks are just too thick for a comfortable thumb position.

So it's medium necks for me!
 
#32
I haven't played that many basses in my life, and haven't measured the ones I did play, but all that aside, I prefer wider necks... Thinnes, I don't know, medium or thin... Whatever Lakland necks are

Perhaps thick works on narrower (1.625) necks? I had a CIJ Fender that was thicker than my Lakland and also played nice...

The real deal-breaker for me seems to be the finish... Satin/oil yay, glossy nay...
 
#33
I like a thin neck, Jazz Bass nut is ideal, but the FB width is less important than front to back thickness. I have small hands, so the Ibanez SR style necks are ideal for me. My Steinberger has a pronounced "C" shape, very thin across the FB, but relatively deep, also works for my hands somehow. My G&L is between a J and P at the nut, but very thin front to back. I must have weird hands, a P-Bass never feels right to me, like holding a baseball bat.
 
#34
Gilmourisgod said:
I like a thin neck, Jazz Bass nut is ideal, but the FB width is less important than front to back thickness. I have small hands, so the Ibanez SR style necks are ideal for me. My Steinberger has a pronounced "C" shape, very thin across the FB, but relatively deep, also works for my hands somehow. My G&L is between a J and P at the nut, but very thin front to back. I must have weird hands, a P-Bass never feels right to me, like holding a baseball bat.
Click to expand...
Not weird a all. The Am Std P Bass neck is uncomfortable for my smaller hands as well. I just got an Am Std P with an Am Std J neck through the Fender American Design Experience. That works great for my hands.

1.5 thin for me. The most amazing Jazz neck IMO is the Lakland USA Joe Osborn with the comfortable taper design in first position and incredible oiled finish on the back of the neck. And unlike many other manufacturers, Lakland actually lists the thickness of its necks on its web site.
 
#40
My preferred neck has changed so much over the years. Starting (almost 20 years ago) on a Squier Standard Series P-Bass Special (1.5"/9.5"), that's what I grew up on. I still love this bass and the neck on it. I was convinced after some troubled times in my early days of playing that my lack of playing progression was resulting in an uncomfortable "cramped" feeling neck, and was set on the widest nut and flattest radius possible.

After recently owning a G&L with a 1.75" nut/12" radius for a brief period, I was convinced (trial and error eh?) that a wider nut/flatter radius wasn't what my hands actually wanted, but moreso a thicker/rounder neck. I loved the neck on that bass, but it was too thin front-to-back.

My Peavey Patriot has a 7.5" radius with a 1.5" nut. I love the beefy-baseball-bat-ness of this neck. On the contrary, my Dano is 1.625"/9.5" and I also love this neck, and I think that any other nut/radius combo would make this bass not play as well as it does. If I could get another Patriot neck to put on my Squier, that'd be great.

So, in the end, I voted for 1.5" nut (thick). I think I'm going to get a new neck with these specs to rebuild my aforementioned Squier. It appears that I actually had a subconscious passion for a narrow, yet fat neck. It's too bad Warmoth's necks have a 10" radius, and no option to select otherwise.

However, give me an acoustic guitar, and I NEED a wide nut (1.80" is ideal, despite my current being 1 5/8" it just feels and plays so good!)
 

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